Nightlight
by theholyhorehay
Summary: Blaise Zabini is drawn to Sirius Black for many reasons. He's intelligent, daring, and he's dead sexy. Of course, he's not going to tell anyone that. Sirius Black just wants his life and freedom back. Blaise Zabini/Sirius Black SLASH
1. Fuel to the Fire

Dissclaimer: I am but a lonely student who wishes she was half as brilliant as the all powerful JKR. *sigh*

Notes:So, my friends and I tend to be a bit odd and we claim characters and create our "real life" pairings. Which also means we are characters. So I am Blaise Zabini (because I'm just so cool like that. XD) and I'm in LOVE (*swoon*) with Sirius Black. No one had written a pairing for that since....well....ever, really, So I thought I'd do it! I've never written a fic before, so don't be *too* harsh, but don't be too nice either. It's set during PoA (third year). There will be some Slashy-ness and bad words *gasp*.

Also, many thanks to my wonderful Beta, Sir BiggeretStaff (Ash)! I'd be lost with out you my love. And thanks to Ri as well, who inspierd me with her _tres bien_ fics.

well, away we go!

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Blaise POV

Blaise Zabini sat down at the Slythern table just as the mail was arriving. An owl quickly flew down and landed in front of him. He recognized the large tawny owl as the same one that brought him his paper everyday. As he reached to undo the Prophet from its leg, he received a peck on the knuckles from the rather impatient owl. Once he'd untied the paper from its leg, the owl took off with all the other birds.

He glanced down at the paper in his hands as he reached for another piece of toast. On the front page was a picture of a screaming, deranged looking man. Sirius Black had been in the news almost every day since midsummer, so this picture wasn't unfamiliar. Blaise didn't have time to read the article without being late to Potions Class, so he quickly, but carefully, folded it up and put it in his bag to read later.

He turned to Draco, who was glaring at Potter across the Great Hall. Shrugging, he turned back to his toast, deciding against asking to copy his homework. Draco was clearly pissed about something to do with Potter and would probably hex him into next week if he even asked.

Finishing his eggs and downing his orange juice, he stood up from the table. He gathered his stuff from the floor where he had dropped it upon arriving and headed to the library to quickly do his neglected homework. There was only about 15 minutes before class started, so he'd have to B.S. most of it. It didn't really matter much though; Professor Snape almost never failed a Snake.

When he got back to his room that night, he sat down on his bed and pulled the curtains around his bed. The last thing he needed was for the boys in his house knowing what he was doing with his news papers. He reached under his mattress and pulled out a leather bound book. It was the wizard equivalent of a Muggle scrapbook. Not many guys kept them, at least not _straight_ guys.

Placing the book on his bed, he unfolded that morning's Prophet. He cast a silencing charm around his bed, then, murmuring "_Diffindo"_, the article and photo cut themselves out and floated to rest on the blanket. Flipping the book open and casting a sticking charm, he sighed.

If anyone found this book, he'd never live it down. The pages were filled with every article about Sirius Black that had appeared in the Prophet over the past few months. That book made him look like some obsessed, love sick, _fag_. If anyone found his small shrine, he'd be the laughing stock of the school.

He wasn't in love with Sirius though; he was merely impressed with him. No one had ever escaped Azkaban before. The man must be a bloody genius, and that kind of intelligence was something Blaise strived to achieve. If he could have one conversation with the man, he'd feel like he'd achieved something.

The problem was, Sirius was an escaped convict, accused of murdering 12 Muggles and 1 Wizard. Not only that, but nobody knew where the hell he was. He closed the book carefully, placed it under his mattress and cast a quick protective charm around it. Then, lifting the silencing charm from around his bed, he slowly pulled back the curtains and sauntered down to the common room to harass some First Years.

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Chapter end notes: TADA! SBS liked it and I hope you do to. I'll try to update soon. Oh, and if your wondering about the title, just ask me.


	2. Burning Ice

Disclaimer-*sighs* I only wish everyday, on every star, that I owned the oh-so appealing world of HP. Alas, JKR owns it, lucky women.

So here we are again. Sorry it took so long to update. I was in Germany for a week and then I was catching up with school (still am :/). But now I'm back!

Again, much thanks to my beta, Ashley (Sir BiggerestStaff) for being so amazing and wonderious! If it wasn't for her, I'd have no style in my writing....no joke. And to Ri

for being all insipring and pushing me to keep going.

ON WITH THE SHOW!

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Ch.2 Burning Ice

Sirius POV.

The house was cold, damp and very dark, even though it was the middle of the day. Sirius Black was huddled in a pile of rags in the corner of an upstairs bedroom. He felt the whole structure sway around him and a series of screeches filled the air. He wondered, idly, if it was still as stable as it had been when he had been in school. The wind blew the ragged curtains aside, along with his thoughts.

As the wind blew again, he shivered and wrapped the rags closer to him. He briefly considered transforming into his animagus form, for the fur. But, he'd already spent weeks on the run as a dog and he missed his opposable thumbs. Never mind being on the run for a few months, for the past two weeks he'd been put up in the Shrieking Shack. It gave a new meaning to the term "cabin fever".

He was waiting for the perfect day to break into the castle to capture Peter Pettigrew. Peter had betrayed the Potters and framed Sirius. Everyone thought HE was a murderer because of Pettigrew. He could be free if it wasn't for _Pettigrew_ and the Dark Lord.

When Pettigrew had cut off his finger and transformed, Sirius knew that he would go to Azkaban for those murders. While there, it didn't take him long to formulate an escape plan. He knew that Pettigrew would find a wizarding family and find a way to Hogwarts while Harry was there. He had plenty of time to do it too; at least 10 years.

It had taken twelve years for him to escape. He'd lost track of time, seeing as they didn't really keep prisoners updated on the outside happenings. Twelve years in a cell had almost driven him mad. Luckily, he'd found away out. He had transformed into his animagus form, a big black dog, and had basically walked right out. The Dementors couldn't feel an animal's soul.

He'd found Harry at Lilly's sisters house; where they treated him horribly. Sirius had almost lost his temper and MADE them treat him better, but luckily, Harry had beaten him to the punch. While blowing up your Muggle aunt isn't the best way to handle things, it sure was effective.

When Harry had seen him in the park, he realized how much Pettigrew had taken from him. Along with his freedom Pettigrew had taken any chance this boy had at having the family he deserved. That made Sirius irate.

He followed the night bus, as best he could, to Diagon Alley where Harry was given a room at the Leaky Cauldron. He had to keep a low profile because word had gotten out, of course, that he had escaped. In fact it was everywhere. His screaming face on posters, on newspapers dropped in the street, _everywhere_.

Then he had seen Pettigrew. He was in his animagus form, which, fittingly enough, was a rat. A tall lanky red head held him while talking to Harry. There were about 6 other red heads and a bushy haired brunette. Sirius recognized Molly and Arthur Weasley from the Order, so he didn't chance attacking.

So here he was - who knows how many weeks later - sitting in a freezing, screaming building.

_Tonight_, he decided. _Tonight, he would kill that __**rat**__._ He began to sketch out his plan in the dirt that covered the floor.

He would wait until after curfew, (or at least, what curfew had been when he was in school - no doubt they'd have kept it the same) then he'd sneak through the secret passage under the Whomping Willow and into the school. He'd find a way into Gryffindor tower somehow. _Hell, he'd rip through the fat lady if that's what it took to clear his name_. Then he'd make his way to the boys dormitory and find the stupid traitor. It would take some explaining when the Weasley boy woke up (because Peter wouldn't go quietly). But he'd fight his way, rat in hand, to Dumbledore and get someone to force Pettigrew to his human form.

This had to work. If it didn't...well, he'd be back on the run. Or worse; he'd be put back in Azkaban. He shuddered at the thought of having to go back there. No, he would _never_ let that happen.

Sirius deserved happiness. He deserved his freedom and the truth. And above all, Harry deserved a real family. If Sirius was free, Harry would come live with him, for he was Harry's godfather. With those thoughts to keep him focused, Sirius continued to plan out how he hoped the night would go.

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End notes-Reviews would be great too. 3


	3. The Fire Within

Disclaimer:If I owned these characters then it would not have taken me this long to update. So we know that I don't :/

Authors note: Oh my goodnes! I'm sooo sorry for my crappy updating. I've been having a very tough time writing this chapter though. I hadn't read the books in forever, so I was hesitant to continue with this story, because I wanted it to be kind of along the lines of what really happened. So, I had to at least re-read PoA. But see, I'm a freak and can't read part of a series without reading all of them...so I had to read the first 2 first. Plus I've also got to admit that I'm not the best at sitting down and writing, so that doesn't help. Long story short, it's taken me a long time to get this out... Hopefully after this though, things will be coming out easier.

Anyway... Enough of my excuses...Thank you to Ri (ceres51892) for yelling at me until I finished this. And thanks to Ri for being my wondrous beta because Ash wouldn't do it!

Ch.3 The Fire Within

Sirius POV

As darkness began to fall, Sirius started down the tunnel under the Shrieking Shack to the castle grounds. Being in his dog form made his journey a lot faster; he didn't have to bend down or crawl the whole way through. It was cold and dirty in the tunnel, but the wind didn't reach him like it did in the shack above him.

As he approached the end of the tunnel, he heard the tree above him start to thrash around wildly. He sighed, suddenly overtaken with nostalgia; it reminded him of the old days with Remus, James, and... _Peter _Sneaking around under James's cloak every full moon, and running through this very tunnel after getting past the Whomping Willow so that they could keep Remus company....

He sighed as he climbed carefully out of the tunnel. Dodging a branch as it swung directly at him, he quickly pressed the knot in the tree trunk with his paw. The Whomping Willow stopped moving and allowed Sirius to slink past it and into the nearby forest.

Once covered by the shadow of the trees, he glanced up at the castle. The fleeting happiness he felt at the sight of Hogwarts was quickly tinged with the pain of the memory of losing the childhood friends whom he had shared his former home with. He padded softly but swiftly towards the glimmering lights of the windows and the large oak doors.

As he reached the entrance, he thought about the best way to get in without being caught. After a moment of thought, he decided to just poke his nose in and see if anyone was around. He nudged the doors open with his nose and peaked in, careful to make sure he could flee easily if he was seen.

The Entrance Hall was completely empty. Hesitating for only a moment, Sirius squeezed through the gap of the two doors and slowly entered the hall. He crept forward, listening intently for any sounds of approach. There didn't seem to be any, but he kept to the shadows along the walls just in case.

Finding it odd that no one was around at this time of night, he made his way to the main staircase. As he passed the Great Hall, he realized that the whole school must be gathered there, judging from the noise that was coming from the closed doors. Still in his dog form, he nudged the door open a crack and looked in.

He almost laughed when he saw what was going on inside the Hall. Live bats flew through the air, swooping around the floating pumpkins. The ghosts flew around, gleeful with celebration. It was, he realized without a doubt, Halloween. He found himself surprised at that; he really i_had/i_ been alone for quite a while. He'd had no clue what day it was, or even what month they were in.

This was absolutely perfect, though. The entire school would be empty; everyone was in the Great Hall enjoying the feast, never suspecting that he was about to win his freedom again. He could easily find a way to grab Peter and get him to Dumbledore without interference! Overjoyed that luck seemed to be on his side, he felt like his old self again. Almost.

Not knowing how long he had before everyone returned to their dormitories after dinner, he quickly set out to find the rat who had ruined his life. He made his way up the familiar stairways and halls until he was close to the corridor where the Fat Lady's portrait hung, guarding the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. He slipped into an empty classroom and transformed back into his human form.

Pulling the knife he'd stolen from the village out of his pocket, he left the classroom and approached the portrait. He really didn't want to have to use it, but it wouldn't hurt to be prepared. The last thing he wanted was to hurt the Fat Lady, whom he'd actually grown fond of during his years at the school. However, he wouldn't hesitate to fight his way to freedom and the life he knew he deserved to have if it came down to using force.

He took a deep breath and braced himself for what was about to happen. Slowly, he approached the Fat Lady, who was yelling at someone from around the corner.

"I'll get the Headmaster if you don't stop with those dungbombs in MY corridor!" she yelled.

Peeves.

Sirius recognized the cackling and heard a crash. It was loud, but not loud enough to attract any notice. Sirius stepped forward and stood in front of the painting. The Lady slowly turned to look at him, her eyes growing wider and more frightened as she saw who stood in front of her.

"P... P... P... Password?" she stuttered, knowing she still had to do her job.

"I don't have the password," Sirius said forcefully. "You know who I am. It would be in your best interest if you just let me in, right now." He knew that this wouldn't work, but it was worth a shot. Knowing there was no other way, Sirius held up his knife so that the Fat Lady could see what he was holding.

Catching sight of what he was holding, the Fat Lady screeched and ran out of her frame. She appeared in the next picture over, peaking around the frame to watch his actions while she sobbed.

Sirius brought the knife to the canvas of the portrait and began to slash it, desperate for a way to get in. Dragging the knife down, he ripped a large gash in it and the knife made a satisfying tearing noise as it tore through the picture. He looked through the ripped canvas only to see the wall behind it. Frustration boiled up inside him and suddenly, he became the madman everyone thought him to be. He blindly swung at the portrait with the knife, desperately hoping the outcome would be different with each new rip.

He heard a ringing in his ears as adrenaline surged through him. His muscles tensed as he ripped through the picture. Then, just as suddenly as it had come on, his fury started to fade. And as it did, fear of the insane man that had appeared inside him crept into his mind. Disgusted with himself, he dropped the knife and backed away from the portrait.

A loud crash echoed behind him. Coming out of his maddened state completely, Sirius turned around. All he saw was a last glimpse of Peeves swooping out of sight around the corner.

"Shit!" he cursed aloud.

He knew Peeves would be off to tell Filch, or whoever he met first, about his presence in Hogwarts. What was he going to do?

He knew he had to get the hell out of there, and fast! He could already hear the rumbling of the students heading out of the Great Hall and into the hallways, making their way to their respective common rooms.

Quickly, he dashed into a nearby passage way that led to the third floor. Once there, he changed back into his dog form. Running as fast as he could, he avoided any halls with people in them and soon found his way to a broom closet on the ground floor. He hid himself inside, transformed, and locked the door behind him.

Closing his eyes, he leaned against the door and sighed. He'd failed. He hadn't gotten his freedom. He'd just have to find another way. And _soon_

Just then, he heard a gasp and snapped his eyes open. He hadn't realized anyone was in here when he'd chosen this as his temporary hideout. But there in front of him, staring, stood a tall, dark, and handsome teenage boy.

Chapter end notes-so....er....your happy right? Because I got past the hard part. At least I hope so :/. Reviews?


	4. Heating Up

A/N-Alas...Here I am again; horribly late in updating with another sorry excuse. *tear*

But really, I have a summer job as a counselor at a day camp, so I'm there a lot. Plus, it gets awkward when little kids come up and ask what you're writing and....well....you get the picture. But it's here now, REJOICE!!!

Thanks a ton to Ri for betaing....and yeah...ugh that's it really. ONWARD!

Disclaimer-I wish I could own some piece of HP....but alas I don't. BTW- HBP=amazing!

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Chapter 4: Heating Up

Blaise POV-

Blaise closed the door of the closet behind him. Halloween just wasn't much fun for him. He felt empty all the time now, but he didn't have any idea why. He'd taken to spending most of his time sitting on his bed with his curtains drawn, looking at the book he kept hidden under his mattress.

The feast had been marvelous, but he just couldn't get into the spirit of the day. Even Malfoy had noticed, which was very rare.

"Zabini, what's wrong with you?" asked Draco, who was aiming some charmed candy corn to fly towards Potter's head. "You've barely eaten anything."

"I don't know. I guess I don't feel well," Blaise muttered, standing up from the table. "I think I'll go have a lie down."

However, once he'd left the Great Hall, he'd headed in the wrong direction to the dungeons, instead heading towards a small closet. No one would try to find him there. Maybe he could figure out what was wrong with himself, if he stayed alone for long enough.

He sat down on a bucket in the corner and leaned his elbows on his knees. The dark was nice. His thoughts were a million miles away, on the escaped prisoner called Sirius Black. His desire to meet the man grew stronger everyday; the feelings were growing to be more then just admiration.

Blaise let out a sigh. Maybe he **WAS** attracted to him. He was a very attractive man, underneath the dirt and grime... And the picture of him in the papers... No shirt on, tattoos, wild....

Shaking his head, he tried to focus on his current issues. He was growing more and more unhappy with his life; his school work was suffering and even his friends were noticing that something was wrong with him lately. Things just_ don't_ bother Slytherins... Or, well, they weren't supposed to, anyway.

The sounds of people leaving the feast began to be heard outside of the closet. A few people would be going past this closet, but not many. It wasn't really along the most beaten path.

He wondered how long it would be before his friends noticed he was missing this time. Well, even if they didn't, he'd still probably be found by a teacher, or Peeves, before long. Standing and brushing himself off, Blaise prepared to leave the small, cramped space.

Just as he was reaching for the door handle, the door swung open, almost hitting him in the face. All he got a chance to see was a flash of dark black fur. Blaise jumped back and his knees hit the bucket he'd just been sitting on.

There, leaning against the closed door of the closet with his eyes closed, where Blaise could swear he'd just seen fur, stood none other than Sirius Black. He let out a sigh and Blaise gasped. Instantly, Black's eyes snapped open.

Blaise saw him tense up and his eyes sparked with the sudden realization that he wasn't alone in the closet. For a moment, they both stood there in shock, sizing each other up. Sirius was the first to move. He quickly had his knife raised and pointed at the younger mans throat.

"Don't scream," Sirius growled darkly, "or I'll make sure you'll never do it again."

"I won't scream, I promise," Blaise murmured back. "I would never get you caught. I just want to talk to you."

Sirius slowly started to lower his hand. He ran a hand through his tangled mess of dark hair and looked at the young man questioningly. Still on his guard, he asked, "What are you playing at?" With these words, he eyed Blaise once again. "Why won't you scream? Why won't you turn me in? You do know who I am, don't you?"

"I know who you are; I'm not stupid," Blaise responded. "And I told you, I just want to talk to you."

Sirius stared at the young man blankly. "Why? About what?"

Blaise sighed and pointed to the bucket opposite him. "Have a seat and I'll explain;" he requested softly.

"In case you hadn't guessed, I'm kind of in a hurry to get out of here." Sirius turned to leave.

"I know," Blaise protested, grabbing the man's arm. "But please, just listen."

Sirius turned back to the boy, and folded his arms over his chest. He leaned against the door, resigned to hear him out, but still refusing to sit.

"I admire you so much;" Blaise began hurriedly. "All I've ever wanted was to just sit down and have a conversation with you. I've wanted to talk to you and learn about you. You've done some truly amazing things. You're my hero."

"That's all very nice, but I really don't think that any of the things I've done should be admired," Sirius broke in, pushing off the wall. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a castle full of people to sneak out of."

Sirius turned around and opened the door a crack. He peaked out to see if anyone was coming when suddenly, a hand appeared right next to his face and it pushed the door quietly closed. Sirius turned to find himself face to face with the teenage boy. Blaise slowly stepped back, bowing his head and shuffling his feet.

"I could help," Blaise offered quietly. "If you want."

Sirius, surprised by the offer coming from someone so young, was silent for a moment or two. He thought that it might be good to have an inside connection, but could he trust this stranger? He didn't even know his name. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't. But you don't have much to lose at this point, or many other options either, do you?" Blaise replied, shrugging.

Sirius thought for another minute, then slowly let out a breath. He ran a hand through his hair again. "I guess you're right."

"No one will notice if I'm gone for awhile; I disappear a lot," the boy explained, getting to his feet. "Where are you staying at anyway?"

"The Shrieking Shack. There's a secret passage under the Whomping Willow."

Sirius didn't know why, but he felt inclined to trust this young man. No one had wanted to learn the truth about him since before Harry was born. But he'd have to be on his guard.

"Wait here for a few minutes. I'll go distract everyone."

The older man nodded as Blaise carefully opened the door a crack, peeking out into the hall and seeing that the coast was clear. He cast one glance back and then exited.

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SO???!!! Do you totally forgive me for being so horribly long?? Sorry for another cliffy :/. REVIEWS!!??

Oh and a huge thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far and added me to all their alerts and favs and such! 333


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